1. Field of the Inventions
These inventions relate to a planning-type watercraft, and more particularly to improvements in operation control systems for such watercraft.
2. Description of the Related Art
When driving a watercraft into or out of a marina, operators must drive at speeds lower than about five miles per hour. These areas are all often referred to as “No Wake Zones.” Operating a boat at such a low speed can be tiresome.
For example, watercraft that include throttle levers that are biased toward a closed position, such as those used on personal watercraft and some jet boats, require the operators to hold the throttle lever with their fingers or foot in a position so as to hold the throttle lever at a precise location so that the watercraft will move only at a slow speed. Thus, more recently, some small watercraft have been provided with cruise control systems that facilitate smooth acceleration for cruising in a speed-limited area as well as for longer cruising uses.
For example, Japanese Patent Document JP-A-2002-180861 discloses a cruise control system for a planning-type watercraft in which, with a throttle valve opened to a driver-determined position, the driver can turn-on a cruise control operation switch to control the degree of throttle opening such that the then current engine speed is maintained.